Dancing (With Them That Brung Me)
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Author's Note: Partly inspired by Kimi no Vanilla's fic, 'Dance'. It is a beautiful story. (Go check out all her works.) And also, I'd been wanting to write a story with Yuugao, Kakashi, Hayate, and Genma again. I just think those four are so funny together…So yes, this is a bit more on the light-hearted side.
Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto, nor the song as inspiration for my title. I wasn't sure what to call this one until Stacey Earle's song came to mind. Also listened to some JD McPherson while writing this…'Scratching Circles' in particular.
Genre: General, with some Humor (hey, I'm trying!). Rated mature only for one crude scene by Kariko Emma's standards…
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Uzuki Yuugao and Gekkou Hayate knew how to dance.
Hayate had picked up on rhythm at a very early age. As soon as he could walk, he took his first steps toward the old scabbard hanging on the wall, and he reached out for the red knotted hilt, reflecting silver diamonds in his soft ebony eyes. Since then, it seemed ingrained and natural to practice the moves. He continued practicing hard, over and over again, in battle and in life.
Yuugao began learning in her teens, after she went to a really stupid play with some of her friends. The subject matter had been really stupid (something about a wealthy princess pining for a husband). But the theatrics and presentation were enough to move her in her bedroom that night. And with the skill of a Sharingan she did not possess she went to more plays and memorized the graceful movements she fell in love with. All to the beat of a lone shamisen.
She danced alone and unseen until she met Hayate. Eventually he convinced her to dance in the little shinobi joint where the ninja frequented on holidays. They were viewed on prime most on Konoha Founders' Day when Genma gathered the lot together for a very happy and drunken evening with a little bit of debauchery afterwards for good measure. The first few times she hadn't felt comfortable in the brim atmosphere like she were a mere debutant in a sea of men and women all a few years her senior. But those insecurities melted fast when Hayate gave her that same sparkling ebony stare he gave the old scabbard on the wall. Yuugao straightened up like a lady, joined his hand, and they danced. And the first dance was always theirs.
As more people showed, the music soon faded almost indiscernible, especially against Morino Ibiki's noisy laughter. Still, Hayate and Yuugao danced until Genma at last pulled Hayate away and coaxed some alcohol into him. Hayate was always happy to oblige his good friend the first two, then, with a different scheme from year to year, the drinks kept pouring three and four, leading to the annual resurrection of Genma and Hayate, detectives extraordinaire. They often tried to solve Morino Ibiki's problems, who was always telling the most bastard horror stories at his table in a loud, demented voice.
Yuugao was left standing in place like a shy, dateless girl at a dance. She was never able to continue dancing on her own. Eventually someone noticed her and took pity on her awkward form. It was usually Asuma who invited her to their table with a simple wave of his hand. Eventually, she'd meander over there and appeared more awkward at the table than she had on the floor. She sat on the end. Away from Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, Ebisu, and Aoba. They were all drinking and laughing gaily at their own dumb stories while Ibiki actually shook the place with his zori-tingling laughs. He could always enjoy himself (and his bumbling detectives) on this, the only the night of the year when they all let themselves go.
As proof, when Hatake Kakashi finally walked in, the whole place roared in cheers and laughter like all the kages walked in, including Shodai and Nidai. At that point, the Sarutobi snuffed out his dwindling cig and rubbed his hands together eagerly, muttering something to Kurenai. She giggled. He waved his hand exuberantly at the copy nin and pointed at the food and the alcohol with a grin, telling the copy nin to pull up a chair. The Hatake did so and Yuugao's senpai nodded to her from across the way. It was pretty much the only conversation she had for the rest of the night. Aoba would flirt with her sometimes in a friendly way but Yuugao always found some clever way to distract him. One year she maneuvered him into a rock-paper-scissors challenge with Maito Gai. Aoba lost. The results were devastating, and involved some exercise in the hokage's tower after midnight. (Aoba was noticed to say the least, and the whole thing left a very odd permanent mark on his record. And losing to Maito Gai just wasn't a good enough excuse to erase it away.)
Yuugao stayed until the messy end. At which point, she'd faithfully guide both Hayate and Genma home. It took till dawn because their detective work would make several stops along the way. You know. They had to ask every lamp pole for state secrets.
That part, she admitted, was always pretty fun.
Then when it was just her and Hayate, she made sure Hayate set foot in his home, took his medicine, and urged him to go to bed like she were his mother. Hayate always stubbornly refused, tossing the blanket off him drunkenly. He stood shakily, and with a waning but captivating smile, he'd ask her to dance. Yuugao grinned and kept close, for he always went down spinning.
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Tonight, Genma had seen her sitting by herself in the tiny odenya. There was a small white cup ahead of her hand that was inkling toward it and then pulling back. Then she'd advance on it again, taking care to touch it lightly as if she were teasing it. But Genma knew she was no tease. She was too much of a jealous nature to let anything slip from her grasp.
Careful not to make any noise, Genma entered beside her and sat himself down much to her shock and surprise. "Genma!" And she accidentally spilled the contents of the drink. With red blooming on her face, the server cleaned up the small mess and Genma signaled for two more of whatever it was. Yuugao attempted to save face even though they were alone now; "What are you doing here?"
Genma thought slowly with a stealing look in his warm brown eyes, looking over her figure (never changing) and searching her face. "Well…I guess I'm just here for the same reason you are."
That reason arrived a moment later.
Yuugao stared at the new cup in a mixture of consternation and guilt.
It took some time, but eventually she spoke. And it was evident something in her voice trembled in the calm yellow atmosphere. "This is my fourth one…By all rights, I should be on the floor, heaving a mess a Morino would be proud of." (Genma smiled, Yuugao noticed and turned her head away.) "But I just can't do it…The first one…Hayate spilled. The second one…I spilled. The third one you spilled. And now…"
"Well, we just need either Kakashi or Asuma to swing by." Genma winked keenly, his eyes fixated on her face. He always pretended to be a ladykiller.
Yuugao smiled. A little. Then with weight on her head she pressed her face in her palms and her elbows on the counter. She began to cry. Not any sobbing. Just tears and few muted hiccups of emotion she had buried deep down in her soul to make shinobi rule proud. Genma reached out for her, putting a hand on her back, rubbing, and eventually she quieted and wiped her face unsuccessfully—her mascara had run a bit at the corners.
She had not been dancing.
Genma took his senbon from his mouth and fingered it in his free hand, "You're coming tomorrow night, aren't—"
"What's the point," Genma tried to argue, but she continued, "I don't blend in with your crowd anyway, Genma. No, I don't—"
"Yes, you do!" Genma said over her without being too loud for the poor bartender to hear in the back room. "Why yesterday Asuma was asking me if 'that dancing girl' was going to be there!"
"Ha!" she scoffed, "Dancing girl, am I? I have no reason to dance in that fashion ever again—" Yuugao stopped when she saw the look now in Genma's brown eyes. She had never seen them appear so cold and so serious. The intensity of his stare was nearly like a parent toward their fitful child. Yuugao tried to look away—she was a capable ANBU for God's sake—yet Genma's stern stare drew her back in like the manifestation of gravity. "Come tomorrow night," he said again. "And dance. Then you can do whatever your sober mind desires. I don't care."
He stood, downed his little cup, and left without another word. He put the senbon back in his mouth and shoved his hands in his pockets. She noticed his retreating gait was unusually straight. Yuugao looked back at her clear cupful—her head spinning. She paid the tab and left.
The next night the annual party began again. Hayate wasn't the only one missing. The card table group was smaller. Morino Ibiki's table of fellow Intel cronies were missing a few. And Ibiki started on the alcohol early tonight too. He had noticed. Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, and the others all showed and sat themselves down, ordering food and drink (water, to start). Yuugao could hear the sounds of their conversations and some light chuckling around the tables. She turned from the front door and decided she'd go into the alley and use the rear entrance. It was most near Genma's table anyway.
Genma was first to notice her. "Yuugao!" he smiled, and again admired her figure as he had the other night. She allowed herself to flush slightly. This time her figure was fit into her old black dress. He did not say anything to her about dancing and she was glad of it. She spent a few minutes at his table eating some of his hors d'oeuvres, listening to Raidou talk. She and Genma laughed with him. Eventually she felt a little more at ease in the place and eased back in her chair, noticing all the regulars and ones who were missing.
But then soon after Kakashi came in (cheers), she noticed the young black haired woman belonging to Tsunade any other day, leading an attractive young intel man up on the dance floor. Yuugao's skin prickled instantly and paled. Her cat eyes flashed with something like jealousy.
Yuugao watched them, dancing. Neither of them were very balanced, but their smiles made up for it. Shizune spun and flirted with the man openly, grinning, and like thieves they stole the floor, the music, and some increasing attention. The young woman at the table stared furiously.
Genma and Raidou went quiet, watching Yuugao watch the stage. Raidou seemed to smirk at Genma, and Genma knew. And Genma took advantage of the situation for his own personal satisfaction. "So as I was saying, Lady Tsunade came on to me and gosh with you there, what a threesome!"
"Fun times!" replied Raidou, nodding his head. "She mentioned next Tuesday."
"Really!" Genma grinned. He leaned over a bit and slid the senbon over on his left, cutting Shizune in half. Yuugao didn't even notice. Finally Genma was about to end this foolishness until Kakashi walked over.
The copy nin smelled like a combination of all of Asuma's favorite foods in addition to his cigarette smoke. It was an odd smell to say the least. Probably why he came over. He had taken his own sake cup with him. It looked as if he hadn't touched it. (Genma would have to fix that later—he always did.) But Kakashi's presence did seem to stir Yuugao a little. She looked away once quickly, yet that exceedingly perturbed look stayed on her face and she soon went back to staring. Kakashi at once could understand the situation. And apparently, he had somehow understood another matter, "Next Tuesday sounds like fun. You should invite Aoba to be there. With his record, you'd really have some fun."
Genma nearly choked on his senbon from laughter which finally awoke the violet haired girl sitting at their table. "What…? What about Tuesday?" she asked, but none of them the men surrendered any answer to her. So Yuugao's frown etched deeper in her jaw, gritting her teeth inwardly over Shizune on the floor.
"…Yuugao," said Genma. He had leaned in. A stealing look in his warm brown eyes. "I think it's time."
The song finally ended, and Shizune and her boy were leaving the floor.
Yuugao bit her lip, staring at the hardwood longingly. Genma coaxed her like she were a wild horse, "You know you want to. If I can do it…so can you."
For a moment, her yellow-hazel rimmed eyes blinked in the light emotionally. "I can't do it by myself."
Genma seemed to shrug.
When Yuugao looked down futilely at his table, she noticed Kakashi's sake. It was full and untouched. The girl held her breath, seeing a familiar reflection in the clear color liquid. She closed her eyes and decided. Yuugao snatched it. She downed it with her head full back and she stood. She extended her hand across the table…to Genma.
"Dance?"
The men's eyes could not be wider. Kakashi's sake was gone, Raidou had next Tuesday to plan for, and Genma was faced with his best friend's girl.
Genma stood to meet the challenge. A very lopsided smile donned his face as he set his senbon on his plate. He accepted her hand and she led him to the floor. She told the man with the music what she wanted to hear. And with a straight form, Yuugao led Genma to the center of the floor and she took her stance a few feet away. She looked like a delicate violet flower, poised and ready to be swift on her feet. And when the music started, that's what she was.
Grace and purpose spun by him, faster and faster and she began to grin and smile and laugh with Genma as they flew back and forth on their feet, dancing. Genma eventually gave up trying to be duet. She was too good, and could do it on her own. By that point, everyone there had noticed the dancing girl and her passion.
Even Morino Ibiki was getting into it before it was through. And when it was over, she held her pose for a moment as if transported to another realm entirely. She stood; Genma came up beside her and though he was so close, his voice sounded miles away, "Very nice," he smiled smoothly. Yuugao smiled too, and quickly turned her head lest anyone caught the sight of her emotion welling up inside of her. Then all of a sudden Raidou came up on the floor, and one of the other Intel guys. Music began playing again. Yuugao danced.
In fact everyone came up and danced on stage at some point, unlike years past.
Gai's dance was the swim. It was the only thing that had popped into his brain really. Aoba came up and did something goofy from thirty years ago. Raidou joined in on that. Sarutobi Asuma's dance consisted simply of jumping up and down in one spot while Kurenai desperately tried to catch and hold his shoulders in hopes of a slow waltz.
Later in the night Ibiki did a silly dance from Shodai's era. Meanwhile Anko flared her legs, inadvertently kicking a couple people in the crotch. Curiously she looked like she had been aiming for Ibiki, but he dodged her at all attempts. Izumo and Kotetsu made their stage debut an act. Their dance was the most hilarious since it looked as if they'd gone under the spell of some horrid genjutsu.
Iruka was pulled on by Aoba and Raidou. The poor teacher lasted seven minutes before he snuck off back to a table. Ebisu was pushed on the same way, but he ended up enjoying it, especially when he stepped on Anko's foot (by accident).
Possessing the Sharingan, Kakashi could have easily copied any number of his comrade's dancing styles. He kind of liked Asuma's dance he later admitted. (Even though Asuma's dance did backfire in the alley later.) But Kakashi stayed in place with a new cup at Genma's table.
After visiting at length, Genma returned to his table. He looked up at the stage and smiled. Yuugao barely left the floor all night. Both he and Kakashi looked at her in awe. She was dancing with Raidou again now. Genma smiled. "You can see it on her face. She's so happy. Dancing. Finally…Next year…Next year's gonna be a blast. She's gonna set fire to the floor. You'll have to put it out with water style."
Kakashi chuckled.
They watched as Shizune came up on the floor again.
Yuugao made room.
"It might catch on fire now," Kakashi commented.
"Good," nodded Genma, downing some more of his sake. "Something needs to burn again in this old town."
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-Caliko